


right by your side

by adorations



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: M/M, Misunderstandings, Post-Season/Series 03 Fix-It, pop culture references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:01:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23227504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adorations/pseuds/adorations
Summary: 5 times the study group was oblivious to Troy and Abed’s relationship, +1 time they understood.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 72
Kudos: 827





	right by your side

**Author's Note:**

> is there even an audience for this any more? i don’t know. i just watched community and i love these lil guys.  
> hopefully once it goes on netflix there’ll be an influx of fans and readers! i can dream right? 
> 
> anyways, if you’re reading please!!! leave me a comment to let me know what you think. thank youu

Britta adored Troy. She absolutely loved him. Which is why she knew it was better they didn't continue whatever romance had been going on between them. They were friends - more than that, best friends. Family, even. Family on two different paths and two different wavelengths, romantically. They had different things they needed to work for, to focus on. They were friends, and she cared about him, regardless of their romantic entanglements, or lack thereof. Why complicate things after one lunch date?

So, Britta was fine, honestly. She had no issues with what happened between her and Troy. 

Well, sometimes she wondered. She wondered how he was handling it. Sure, the split (if you could even call it that) had been mostly mutual, and if anything, he had instigated it, but Troy was sensitive. They all knew that, no matter how much he tried to pretend that they didn't. And what kind of friend would Britta be if she didn't check in on him?

"Hey, Troy!" she said, catching him on the way to class. "How ya doin'?"

She scanned his face for any signs of distress, like puffy eyes from crying, or anything else a good therapist would find. So far she came up short, finding only mild confusion. 

"Fine, Britta. Good." He shifted uncomfortably. "Why?"

"Oh, you know, just a standard question asked by all therapists. In training." She raised her eyebrows, searching for any other sign of his mental state. 

"To their friends?"

"Not important. Whatcha up to today?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Abed and I are marathoning the latest season of Grey's Anatomy," he said, somewhat sheepishly. 

"You're behind?!" Britta exclaimed. "With last season's finale? Troy, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but putting yourself through that kind of mental torture could be classified as a legitimate disorder."

"I know, I know," said Troy, "But Abed likes to binge the seasons in one sitting, or close to it, anyways. Ever since the hospital shooting episodes he says he doesn't trust Shonda Rhymes not to hit him with a mid-season cliffhanger. So I had to wait for him so we could watch together."

"That's devotion," said Britta. "Abed's lucky he's got you, nothing could keep me away from McDreamy for that long."

She lost herself in thoughts of Patrick Dempsey for a moment. She snapped back to reality just in time to catch a glimpse of a wistful look on Troy's face. Ah, the effect McDreamy had.

She found herself suddenly embarrassed. Grey's Anatomy was not her typical type of show, in fact, it almost seemed like something Annie would be into more than Britta. "Oh, Troy, please don't tell anyone I said that. I promise I don't fawn over a show like _that-_ I mean no offense! It's just-"

"No, I get it," Troy responded. He opened his mouth and closed it again before speaking, almost as if he were hesitating. "I mean, that's just the effect Patrick Dempsey has, right? He's called McDreamy for a reason."

Britta found herself relaxing. "I know, right? And good for you for saying so!" She doesn't always expect the rest of the study group to be as progressive and as open-minded as she is, but every now and then one of them will surprise her. She means it, good for Troy for being so comfortable with his masculinity that he's able to acknowledge Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd's undeniable appeal. Not many straight men would feel comfortable enough to do that. She must be having some sort of influence over him. 

Yes, that must be it, because as she spoke she saw Troy visibly relax as well. Troy admired her progressive thinking! 

"Yeah, well," he said, "I've got no reason to deny the truth anymore, do I?"

Just then, Abed came zooming out of a nearby bathroom and up to Troy's side. "Hello, Britta. Troy, there's a crack in the bathroom mirror that looks exactly like Jude Law."

Troy began speed-walking backwards, away from Britta and towards the bathroom. "Britta, tell the professor we're going to be late!" And with that, they were both gone. 

It was good to know he was handling everything, she resolved as she walked into class. And it was good to see that he had Abed on his side. Of course he did, Britta thought. As if they'd ever be willingly apart again after that pillow fight. But it was a nice reminder to see them interact again. Troy would be fine. And what good friends they were!

-

Abed suddenly sat up from their position on the couch and paused the T.V. "I'm hungry," he explained, making his way into the kitchen. "Do you want cereal or buttered noodles?" 

"Um, neither. I will never understand how you could possibly be hungry during this," Troy said, gesturing towards the surgery scene Abed had paused on. 

"Hey, guys?" said Annie, coming out of her room. Her eyes landed on the screen. "Oh, gross! I thought you finished Grey's Anatomy?"

"Whole new season, Annie," said Abed, pouring himself a bowl of Lucky Charms. "I can catch you up if you'd like to join us. Arizona is adjusting to life without a leg, and April and Jackson-"

"Spoilers, Abed!" she said, backing slowly into her room again. "Another time. Once I watch it myself."

"What did you want to ask?" Troy called after her.

"Just tell me when you're done in there!" Her door swung shut.

Troy felt a pang of guilt. "Should we be watching in the blanket fort instead? Or in the bedroom? I feel bad, we know she's only on season 3." 

Abed, now bringing his cereal back to the couch, gave Troy a thoughtful look. "No," he said finally. "She got to watch Shameless out here before we were caught up."

"That's true," said Troy, and Abed resumed the show. 

"I think Annie will like April. When she gets to that part of the show," said Abed.

Troy glanced away from the exposed organs on the screen to look at Abed instead. He hoped it appeared casual, rather than fearful. Abed was leaned forward in his seat, as opposed to Troy's relaxed position on the couch. He was focused on the screen and intently shoveling Lucky Charms (mostly marshmallows, Troy noticed) into his mouth. Troy fixed his eyes on him until the surgery was finished. 

"You think so?" he asked. 

"Yes," Abed said, still not taking his eyes from the screen. "They're both driven and wildly optimistic. They've both undergone large amount of character development. It makes sense."

Troy hummed in agreement. "Britta likes Derek."

"Who doesn't?" said Abed seriously. 

"Good point." Troye shifted in his seat. "I was talking to her about it, today. And about you, a little bit."

"Oh?" Abed's eyes remained on the tv but Troy could see his focus had shifted. He ate his cereal more sloppily. 

"Yeah. She seemed happy for us."

Abed set his now empty bowl down on the table beside them and faced Troy. "Did you think she wouldn't be?"

"No." Troy thought about it. "I don't know. Maybe?"

"You said she took it well when you talked to her before."

"She did," Troy reassured him. "But she didn't say anything about us specifically, then. So I guess part of me was still worried she was angry."

Abed nodded once. "I see."

"But she seemed cool with it today."

"I would hope so. She's our friend." Abed glanced at the ground. "Family."

Troy's heart squeezed. "She is. She's cool. We're cool." He patted the back of the couch behind Abed. "C'mere."

Abed relaxed back into his previous position, leaning back into the couch and into Troy's outstretched arm, and bringing his feet up to curl underneath himself. He rested his head against Troy's shoulder. 

They were learning, Troy thought, learning everyday about the rules and agreements of casual touch. He liked it. He was learning even more about Abed and his habits, his likes and dislikes. Troy never wanted to stop learning about him.

"You know I'd take you over McDreamy, right? Any day. He's dreamy and all, but he can be kind of a jerk sometimes. He's no Abed Nadir," Troy said.

"Pick me," replied Abed, quoting the show. "Choose me. Love me."

"I would. I am, I do," Troy said. He felt Abed shift even closer. Troy pressed his lips to the top of Abed's head. "You're my person." 

"You're my person," Abed repeated. "We can dance it out later."

2.

Yeah, okay. Pierce Hawthorne missed having Troy live with him. Occasionally. Sometimes. But hell if he was ever going to admit it. 

And Troy seemed to be doing well, anyways. Or at least Pierce thought so. To be frank, it was rare that Pierce ever truly understood what was going on in Troy and Abed's little fantasy world. 

But it wasn't because he was old and out of touch! Because Pierce was not that old. And he certainly was not out of touch with certain trends and the general reality of the world. John Wayne, Burt Reynolds, Eartha Kitt in an airplane bathroom. Troy and Abed were the ones who were missing out by not inviting him to join them in their games. 

Pierce reminded himself of this as he turned the corner to see Troy and Abed with their faces mere inches away from each other. 

"Hey!" he said, and they jumped in surprise. 

"This is a classic sitcom scenario," said Abed. "Caught in the act." He thought for a moment. "Or it's a dramatic plot point which leads to hurt feelings and general mistrust."

"Gotta hope it's the former," Troy muttered. "If anything."

"Is that like the handshake you boys do?" Pierce asked, referencing their interlocked fingers.

Abed shrugged. "I suppose it is in a way. We do end up doing it whenever one of us says something awesome."

There they were, Troy and Abed, doing awesome things without Pierce. Like always. 

"Of course, of course," said Pierce. "I don't suppose that's something I could join in on as well...?"

Abed furrowed his eyebrows and cocked his head in surprise. His lips parted only slightly in confusion, while Troy's jaw nearly hit the floor. 

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Pierce said upon seeing their faces. Abed's face relaxed.

"I was going to say, Pierce, I don't think we're there yet," Troy laughed nervously. "I mean, I know we lived together and all..."

"That would be a real plot twist. But not one that fans would like very much, it would probably be more of a plot twist that fans complain is out of character," said Abed. 

So. Whatever secret hijinks they were doing were not for Pierce. At least they thought he was funny (Troy was laughing, after all). He should just cut his losses and capitalize on that. 

"What, I can't make a joke every now and then?" He gives Troy a pat on the back. "Take care, boys." 

He turned and left. Next time they'd see just how "with it" Pierce Hawthorne was. Nothing slipped through these cracks!

Just then, he saw Jeff, with his hair looking particularly well-styled. 

"Hey, Winger!" Pierce called. "Looking gay!"

Yes. Pierce still had it.

-

"A lot of growth this season," Abed commented absent-mindedly from his spot at the dinner table. He flipped through another page of his notes. 

"Yeah?" Troy asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah. Jeff's becoming more emotionally vulnerable, Annie's been more independent, Britta declared a major..."

Troy made his way from the kitchen to come and stand over Abed's shoulder. 

"...Shirley's Sandwiches is a huge success, not to mention our on-screen bromance manifesting into a romantic relationship. That's undeniable growth, even if the underlying yearning was present throughout the series." Abed paused. "It took us a while. Does that count as queer baiting?"

"No," said Troy decisively. He slid into the chair next to him. "We're the real deal."

Abed nodded, comforted, but still lost in thought. "We could've had even more time together. That's my fault. I should've picked up on the signs."

But he did pick up on the signs, didn't he? How could he miss them? He thought about those early days, where he'd spend his nights analyzing any potential romantic subplot that may apply to someone like him. He thought about the fear of jumping the shark and about how long it kept him quiet. 

"Or I shouldn't have ignored them, anyways," he continued.

"Nah, Abed," said Troy seriously, "I... I wouldn't have known how to handle it then." Troy fidgeted with his fingers. "I'm glad we got to know each other the way we did."

Abed nodded. "Slow burn."

"Exactly."

Abed allowed a small smile. He picked up a pen and jotted down another quick note under "Troy and Abed: Romantic Development," right next to the running list of established, consensual, casual touch. 

He flipped the page. "And that's not even mentioning Pierce."

"He's been more hot and cold than Katy Perry."

"Much better than before though," said Abed. "All things considered. With his father and all."

"Can I be honest?"

Abed raised his eyebrows. "I'd prefer it. Unless you want to set up a miscommunication plot point."

Troy shook his head. "Not today." He leaned forward on the table. "I'm glad Pierce didn't say anything too bad. When he saw us, I mean."

"He did make a little bit of an off-color joke but that's fairly in-character for him."

"Exactly!" Troy said. "I mean, he's had plenty of time to say something terrible since we've gotten together, and he hasn't. Which I'm grateful for, of course..." 

"But he hadn't really seen us be overtly romantic together before today. I mean, in displays of affection that other people read as romantic. Is that what you mean?"

"Yeah," said Troy. "And I'm glad he didn't change his mind once he actually saw us like that." 

Abed considered this. He had been concerned that Pierce would be forced to fall into the villain role for their relationship by default. It was nice to have confirmation that he was not. 

"I wouldn't want to lose his character at this point in the story," said Abed. "It would leave a hole in a lot of things."

Troy nodded and scooted closer to Abed, pressing up close to him and craning his neck to read Abed's notes. "What else did you have?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

3.

"Hello, Annie- Oh!" Shirley exclaimed, swinging open her door to find Troy and Abed where she had expected Annie. "Troy and Abed, what a... lovely surprise." 

She knew she probably didn't do a very good job of hiding her skeptisicim, but Abed takes no notice. "We wanted to do House M.D. at first but we decided against it."

"We figured we'd go for something lighter and we're a more natural fit for Scrubs anyways," Troy explained, gesturing to the medical scrubs they were wearing. 

"My vote was still for Patch Adams but apparently it's been 'overdone' since the celebrity impersonators incident," Abed said with a pointed look at Troy. With that, they pushed past her and moved into her house. 

"Oh, look at that, you're in my house now... said Shirley. "Where's Annie? I seem to recall calling in a favor with her, not with..." She looked them over. "...Mr. Scrubs."

"Zach Braff and Donald Faison," said Abed, already exploring Shirley's house. He shook up one of the plastic bags he held. "Where are your kids?"

"Annie sent us instead," Troy said, stepping closer to Shirley. "She said she had a stationary emergency and had to go out and buy replacements and that she'd be here as soon as possible but we'd cover in the meantime. She didn't text you?"

"Oh." Shirley hadn't thought to check her phone. She'd been so busy trying to take care of the kids, and between them and her own health, her phone had been ignored. She pulled it out then, and sure enough, there was Annie's explanation. "I guess I must've missed that." 

"You seem worried. I thought you and your kids were sick and you needed help. Do you not need help?" Abed asked her.

What could Shirley tell them? That yes, most of her family was sick and Andre was still out of town at an uncle's funeral and while she did really, really need the help, there was a reason she texted Annie? Sweet, organized and efficient Annie. And not Troy and Abed with whatever characters they were roleplaying as that day. 

"Um..." She stalled. A coughing fit attacked her right at that moment. Of course, the Lord knew how to contact her. How could she forget? Just like the three boats in the flood, right? Jesus was just sending her help. Or possibly testing her. "Yes. I need help. Elijah is vomiting and Jordan-"

"There're over here?" Abed asked, moving towards their room. 

"Yes, but-"

"Here's some food, Shirley," said Troy, taking her attention off of Abed and unloading food onto her counter. "Cereal, plain noodles, crackers shaped like dinosaurs, and falafel. That one's from Abed's dad."

"Oh!" said Shirley. "I wasn't aware you had much contact with Abed's father these days."

Troy avoided her eye contact. "He came around eventually. Some people do the right thing and realize their kids are more important than tradition. Or religion." He glanced up at her. "I'm sure you've had to do something similar."

Troy seemed to suddenly lose his courage and broke eye contact again. 

And yes, she had, in a way. It was difficult looking at the study group and knowing they didn't know Jesus the way she and her boys did. It was hard sometimes to suppress the urge to share His word with them. But what could she do? They've made it abundantly clear to her that they would not be converting anytime soon, so all she could do was show them the power of Jesus' love through her actions. And that would have to be enough. She accepted them for who they are, and loved them like Jesus would. That's what He would advocate for in this situation, Shirley was sure of it. 

"Look, if you don't want us here," Troy said, "Just tell me now and we can get this over with without any harsh words, okay?"

She dabbed at her nose with a Kleenex. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't heard Troy talk about either of his parents (or his father's girlfriend, for that matter) in a long while. Did they, as Jehovah's Witnesses, approve of his make-believe? His roleplaying? The study group? His living with a Muslim man? They could be so severe. Had Troy been living all this time with no parental figure and no religious guidance other than herself?

"Troy," she said softly. "I am very glad you and Abed are here today."

Troy softened under her gaze. 

"Now I need your help with baby Benjamin, please," she said, using the best mother voice she could muster. 

"Right," Troy said, following her to the nursery. "Of course. How hard can it be? They're just like tiny people."

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that," said Shirley lowly.

Ben was waiting for them and bounced excitedly in his crib as they entered the room. "Mama!"

"And Troy!" He turned to Shirley. "What do you want me to do?" Troy asked sheepishly. Shirley elected to ignore his hesitance. 

"Right now, I just want you to carry him to the boys' room. I'd like to get in there before Abed starts telling them about aliens and robots. Or evolution."

Troy frowned. "I don't think you're giving Abed enough credit. He's good at this stuff."

"Uh huh." Shirley imagined Abed at that very moment, telling them exactly how many Americans died of the flu every year and then telling them that this timeline didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. "I'd still like to get in there as soon as possible."

"Okay." Troy reached into the crib and scooped up Ben, holding him close to his chest. "Hey, little man."

Ben responded by reaching up to grab Troy's cheek in his fist. He squealed in delight. "Alright," Troy said. "Let's roll out."

When they do reach the boys' room, to find that Abed had adopted a large, red nose, two antennas, and was buzzing around the room.

"Patch Adams, you son of a bitch," Troy murmured. 

"Okay, language around my babies," Shirley warned. 

Abed turned to them. "Sorry. I really felt Patch Adams better suited the occasion. And I brought real medicine, too. So it's not completely unproductive."

"It's cool," Troy said. "You were right, clearly."

And he was. Even Shirley could see that. As Abed stretched a latex glove across his head and turned to Jordan and Elijah, her sons laughed. Even Ben was babbling gleefully. 

"How did you know?" she asked Troy. Off his look, she elaborated. "How'd you know he'd be so good at this?"

"It's Abed," said Troy simply. "There are some things we just know about each other."

-

"You liked those boys," Troy said on the drive home. 

"They were very good at staying in character. Although that might be partially due to their actual illness."

"Yeah," Troy agreed. "I liked them, too." He let himself glance away from the road to look at Abed for just a moment. "I liked your Patch Adams, too. A lot."

Abed stared out the window. "Thank you. I'm sorry if you didn't want him at first."

"No, I'm sorry I almost kept you from doing it." He sighed. "I just got scared that day with the celebrity impersonator. You know that right?"

"Yeah," said Abed. "You were worried about me because you care about me the way I care about you. I know that now." 

Troy felt a lump in his throat. He reached over to grab Abed's hand. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," Abed said, squeezing his hand. "As long as you can still drive."

Troy chuckled. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm no Fast & Furious, but I'm good."

"You liked Ben, too," Abed said. It wasn't a question. 

"Of course. He's like, cuter than the babies from Raising Arizona and Look Who's Talking combined."

"He's around the same age as my brother."

Troy blinked back his surprise. 

"My brother. Marcin. They're close in age." 

"Yeah, I..." Troy knew who Abed was referring to, of course, but he had never made the connection of Marcin's age in relation to Ben. Abed clearly had, though. "I hadn't realized they were born so close together."

Abed kept staring out the window. Troy squeezed his hand again.

"I'd love to meet him one day." 

"So would I," said Abed. "Sorry. That was harsh."

"It was honest."

"I'd like for us both to meet him. And for you to meet my mom." He paused. "There's a How I Met Your Mother joke in there somewhere."

"I'd love that, Abed." Troy rapped his fingers in the wheel. "I'm sorry you don't get to meet my parents. I don't think we're going to see them for a long time." 

"Megan goes against her parents and the conversion camp to be with Graham in But I'm A Cheerleader. But she's ultimately happy," Abed contemplated. "But many Disney protagonists mourn their parents' role in their lives. I hope you can feel more like Megan soon. I don't want you to feel like Ariel. Like you has to make an impossible choice between two lives." Abed pulled their interlocked hands into his lap. "And I don't want you to feel sad about your choices."

"I do feel like Megan, Abed. I'm happy to be with you." Troy felt tears welling up in his eyes. 

"You're crying."

"I know. It's complicated. I wish my parents could see how awesome you are and I wish I could keep telling them about you but I'm not going to lie to make them happy."

Abed held his hand even tighter. "You don't regret telling your parents."

"No, Abed, _never."_ He wiped the eyes on his sleeve clumsily. "And Ariel made a hard choice but the right choice. She was meant to live on land."

"That's true," Abed decided. "And we'll always have Shirley."

And despite everything, Troy laughed. "That's true."

4\. 

It wasn't that Jeff was unhappy to see Abed alone in his apartment several minutes before anyone else was due to arrive, it's just that it was unexpected. 

"I didn't expect to see you without your second half, Abed."

Abed cocked his head. "Oh. You mean Troy. You think we're codependent."

"No, I-" Jeff cut himself off. Well. Did he?

"That's okay. I'm comfortable with our dynamic." Abed stared him down. "I was already filming something nearby so I thought I'd just come straight here when I was done. Troy's aware. He's not threatened by us spending time together. And he's still coming later, of course."

"...Right," Jeff said, not entirely sure where the conversation had landed. "I'll tell you, that's one thing I don't miss about having roommates. I never have to check in with other people when I go somewhere." He spread his arms, gesturing to the apartment around him. "I can just come and go as I please."

"You check in with us all the time," Abed pointed out. He sat on one of Jeff's armchairs.

"That's beside the point."

"What do you miss?"

Jeff stared at him blankly. 

Abed continued. "About having a roommate? You said that's one thing you don't miss. What do you miss then?"

"Not much, I'll tell you that, Abed."

"That's not an answer to the question, that's just evasive."

"Abed, I'm not sure what answer you're looking for here."

"We lived together for a little while."

Shit. "Well, yeah. But that's different. You can't live in a dorm room forever. You know that, you moved out of the dorms, too." 

C'mon, Jeff, he thought to himself. Lawyer logic. Keep circling the question, don't answer.

"You don't wish you had someone else to share your apartment with?"

Jeff threw his hands in the air. "Look at this place, Abed. This is my space."

"That's still not an answer."

"Why are you so invested in this?" Jeff slumped down into the opposite armchair.

Abed considered the question. "I guess I was wondering why you haven't settled down yet. Even the 'cool guy' leading men usually have someone to share their lives with. Ferris Bueller had Sloane."

"Oh, I don't know Abed, why don't we examine all of the things that prevented _you_ from settling down with someone?"

"Mostly it was fear of jumping the shark and ruining the narrative, but that's mostly been settled-"

"Why are you even asking? It's not as if you're looking for someone, are you?"

Abed shifted in his seat. "No, I guess not."

Jeff was hit with a sudden realization. All this about roommates and settling down... 

"Is this about Annie?"

Abed looked taken aback. "Annie? Why would this be about Annie?" Swing and a miss. "Were you thinking about Annie? Do you want Annie to live with you?"

"No! No. That's not what I'm saying. Just.. forget it." Jeff leaned back in his seat. "And for the record, Ferris Bueller was more about him and Cameron than anything else."

Abed's eyes lit up. "That's a very interesting analysis, Jeff."

Uh oh. Jeff had done something there. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to find out what. 

Luckily, the doorbell rang. 

"Good talk," Jeff said, and rose to answer the door. So what if he lived alone? So what if he wasn't seriously dating? He was Jeff Winger. He had plenty of time.

Right?

\- 

Abed waited near the edge of the bathtub until he heard the door open and the familiar sound of Troy's footsteps filling the apartment. He called his name twice, just to make sure he heard it, and then plunged himself into the tub. 

Troy knocked on the door, and upon hearing no response, opened the door to find Abed submerged. Or that is, as much of Abed as would fit. 

"Abed!" Troy rushed to the tub to pull him out. Abed let himself fall limp into Troy's arms and spit out water.

Abed looked right into Troy's eyes. "Ferris Bueller, you're my hero."

Troy's mouth dropped open. Abed watched as he processes the information. 

When he does respond with the next line, Abed thinks that it works both in and out of character. "You son of a bitch!"

Troy pulls off his shirt and jumps in the tub with Abed. It's a tight fit - Abed barely fit in the bathtub by himself. But Troy eventually settled in next to him, with their legs overlapping and intertwining. 

"You know in the movie Ferris has both his shirt and pants off," Abed told him. 

"Does he?" Troy teased. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," said Abed. "I'm not complaining."

Troy stepped out of the tub to pry his now soaking wet jeans off of his body. "Probably should've thought of that before I jumped in."

"Hindsight is 20/20." Abed leaned against the edge of the tub. "Can you grab the olives, please?"

Troy grabbed the bowl and got back in the tub. They relaxed, as best they could, both at least partially submerged in the water. Abed eyed the olives, and Troy wordlessly held one up to Abed's mouth. Abed bit the olive and shuddered. 

"Poison," he whispered. 

Troy set the olives on the ledge. "I don't know why you keep trying them."

"I'm trying to trick myself into liking new foods."

"It doesn't have to be olives."

Abed hummed. 

Troy sat forward. "Why Ferris Bueller?"

"Testing a theory about Cameron and Ferris," Abed answered. "And you had the right amount of natural charm and love for shenanigans."

"Did you prove your theory?"

Abed merely raised his eyebrows. A challenge to Troy. 

Troy leaned forward, rested his hand on the back of Abed's neck and kissed him. 

"Yes," said Abed. "Yes, I did."

5\. 

"Troy?" Annie called out. "Abed?"

No immediate answer meant they were probably in the blanket fort. Whatever movie they were watching could wait, they needed to hear her choice for movie night _now_. 

She pulled back the blankets at the entrance to the blanket fort and... No Troy and Abed. That was odd. Even weirder, no bunk beds. No beds of any kind. Where was Abed sleeping? Not on the ground, she hoped. And certainly not cooped up in the cardboard Dreamatorium - how uncomfortable would that be?

"Abed?" she called out again. Maybe Troy's room? 

"Troy?" she said, pushing open his bedroom door. 

Troy looked up at her from the bed, where he laid... with Abed's arm around him? Annie almost commented on it but thought better of it. Abed must've been reenacting some movies scene. 

"Yes?" Troy asked unbothered and unmoving. There, if Troy didn't care then surely they must be doing another movie bit. 

"I wanted to tell you I chose a movie for tonight. But Abed, what happened to your bed? The blanket fort was empty."

Troy and Abed shared a look.

"I moved into Troy's room. It just made sense for us to be together at night," Abed explained. "We usually fall asleep right after movies anyways. And I like being close together."

"Oh." Well, that made sense, Annie supposed.

"Yeah, and the bunk beds wouldn't work because I kept falling off whenever we used them," Troy chimed in.

"Why didn't you just switch? So Troy didn't have to be on the top bunk?"

Abed stared blankly. "He was falling off the bottom."

"Oh." If Troy was falling off the bottom bunk, Annie wasn't sure how Troy's new, just as tall (albeit larger) bed would solve the problem. And she could've sworn that Troy used to sleep on the top bunk. But alas! To each their own. 

Abed sat up and removed his arm from Troy's shoulders. "Annie, do you still like living here?"

"What? Of course I do!"

"You don't feel uncomfortable living with us?"

Almost everyone in her life had warned her against living with two young men, especially those that she considered friends, but Annie couldn't recall a single time they had made her feel unwanted or unwelcome. 

"Of course not. You guys are my best friends. You're like my brothers."

Troy beamed at that. Even Abed gave her a genuine, small smile. 

"Good," said Abed. "We like having you here."

Annie felt herself blushed. Even though she knew it, it was always nice to have confirmation.

"What's your movie, then?" Troy asked. 

"Oh! Mamma Mia," Annie said excitedly. 

Abed stood. "Here we go again," he said in what Annie hoped was only a song reference and not a compliant as to how many times she picked that movie. 

-

Troy was trying not to breath too deeply.

Well, he could if he wanted to but he would run the risk of disturbing Abed as he drifted off the sleep, and that was never a pretty sight. And Troy wanted him to be able to sleep, he deserved to rest after of a long night of ABBA music. Troy couldn't describe it, but while he loved watching the movie, the soundtrack always put Abed into a weird headspace. More introspective, more paranoid. Maybe even more protective. Abed gripped him a little bit tighter on Mamma Mia nights. 

His arm, draped across Troy's stomach, held him tightly. His head nestled onto Troy's chest, and Troy had an arm wrapped around Abed's shoulders and resting on his torso. One of Abed's legs curled up underneath him and the other stretched over Troy's own legs.

Troy definitely understood the protective instinct. Though he couldn't quite describe it what it was about Dancing Queen, if he thought about it for too long his heart would race and his mouth would go dry and he think to himself over and over that he needed to find Abed. He needed to make sure he was safe.

Troy made a small circle with his thumb on Abed's torso and felt Abed exhale in response. So Abed wasn't fully asleep yet. Good to know. 

He didn't like to think about any situation in which Abed might be in danger. It scared Troy too much to even consider. 

How in the world did it take him this long to realize? How could he possibly have gone so long passing those feelings off as platonic? How could it all be accepted as friendship? How could-

"Oh my god," he said out loud. His eyes shot open. Had he not been afraid of waking Abed, he would have shot out of bed. 

Abed groaned. 

"Sorry," Troy said. "But I just realized. We have a problem."

"Plot related drama or continuity error?" Abed mumbled. 

"Um, plot, I think? Actually I'm not sure." Troy squeezes Abed's arm. "Our friends have no idea we're dating."

"That's impossible." Then Troy felt Abed sharply inhale and all his muscles stiffen. "Oh. It's like the reserve of the troupe where everyone knows except the couple in question." 

"Yeah," said Troy shakily.

"Maybe we should have been more clear."

"I thought we were! I even told Britta I couldn't be with her because I had to focus on you."

"We could've been doing Moulin Rouge this whole time. Sneaking around in the wings. Avoiding the Duke."

"We can do that on our own," Troy said. "We're going to have to tell them."

"This," said Abed, shifting back into place, "Is going to be a very interesting plot point in the morning."

+1

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why we've invited you all here..."

"As your other roommate, I would also like to know," Annie said.

"...And I'm sure you're wondering where Abed is..." Troy continued.

Pierce looked around, surprised. "Oh, shit."

"And to that I say, be patient."

Britta and Jeff grumbled to themselves. Shirley clutched her purse and tried not to look impatient. 

The door bell sound effect rang right on cue. 

"I'll get it!" Troy exclaimed. He swung open the door to reveal Abed, in a winter coat, holding cue cards and a boom box. He held a finger up to his lips and shushed Troy, even though everybody in the apartment would see him. 

"Love Actually!" Annie squealed. 

"Oh, that's nice!" Shirley agreed. 

"Is this for... Annie?" asked Britta.

"Annie..." Jeff started.

Annie shook her head. "I don't think so..."

Abed held up the first of his cards. SAY IT'S CAROL SINGERS. 

"It's carol singers," Troy obliged. 

Abed set up his boombox. "Silent Night" began to play. 

"I don't know what the hell is going on," Pierce complained, though he was quickly shushed. 

Abed continued to display his cards. 

WITH ANY LUCK BY THE END OF THIS

OUR FRIENDS WILL FINALLY UNDERSTAND...

The next card had pictures of their study group looking clueless. Troy heard Annie giggle.

BUT FOR NOW LET ME SAY

WITHOUT ANY (OTHER) REFERENCE OR AGENDA

BECAUSE WE STARTED AS FRIENDS

AND WE AGREED, FRIENDS TELL THE TRUTH

TO ME, YOU ARE PERFECT

AND MY WASTED HEART WILL LOVE YOU

UNTIL YOU LOOK LIKE THIS...

Abed held up a picture of a mummy that made Troy shutter even though he had helped make the sign.

I LOVE YOU, EVEN IF OUR FRIENDS WERE OBLIVIOUS.

And with that Abed ran out of cards. He held up two thumbs, gave a sad smile, and left the doorway. Even though he and Troy had rehearsed it, it still made Troy's heart ache. 

He thought he heard someone saying something from behind him but Troy was too deep into the scene to process it. He ran out into the hall after Abed, cupped his face and kissed him there, in front of everybody. 

The script called for him to leave Abed there and run back inside, but he didn't want to, he wanted to stay there with him forever. Troy buried his face in Abed's chest and Abed rested his chin on the top of Troy's head.

"You guys!" Annie yelled, suddenly much closer. Troy looked up to the find the study group surrounding them in the hall. "You planned that?"

"Yes!" Troy said, exasperated. 

"We've been dating for months," said Abed. "You were all just slow to figure it out."

"What?" Annie cried.

"I knew that," Jeff lied. "Why can't you all be cool about this, like me?"

"You're such a liar, Jeff," Britta argued. "None of us knew. Although we should have seen past the heteronormative expectations of men and noticed that two of our friends were dating!"

"To be fair, they were always attached at the hip, how were we supposed to know things had changed?"

"Well, you kids know I love you very much," Shirley said, "And that Jesus will be there for you if you open your heart to Him, no matter what."

"Gay?!" Pierce questioned. 

"Yes!" Abed and Troy said in near unison. 

Pierce put a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "Jeff, you're in good company, now."

"Not even going to comment on that," Jeff retorted. 

Annie moved in to give them both a hug. "I'm so sorry! That's why you moved into one bed, I can't believe I didn't see it! You must think I'm the worst friend."

"Cypher was the worst friend after he betrayed Neo. You just didn't know," Abed reassured her.

"You sure you're still okay living with us?" Troy asked.

"Yes, of course! As long as you're okay with me..."

"We would've said something a long time ago if we weren't," Abed said. "We like living with you."

Annie smiled.

"Hey, let's go back inside," said Britta. "I've got a lot more questions for you two. That is, as long as I'm not overstepping my boundaries. It's because I'm your friend, not because you're both men."

"Don't even think you had to specify," Jeff said under his breath. 

"Yeah, of course." Troy grinned. "We've got answers. To a reasonable degree."

He turned to Abed. "Troy and Abed make it public!" they sang together. They reached their hands out, slapping them against each other and hitting their chests in unison. When they finished the handshake, instead of breaking apart, Troy held on to Abed's hand and pulled him in to kiss him again. 

Yeah. They were going to be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks everyone! please leave a comment and tell me what you think!


End file.
